Phase one – the early stage
In the beginning of a tournament you generally have a lot of chips compared to the stakes. Because of this you can allow yourself the luxury to wait for good hands. At this stage there is no need to risk a lot of money, or perhaps your place in the tournament, on average hands. Remember that a lot of your opponents only will play premium hands early on. Your ambition should be to double or triple your stack before you enter the middle stages of the tournament. The best way to do this is to play disciplined, solid poker. You should also try to trap the weaker players at the table in order to win big pots.
Phase two – the middle stage
The stakes are rising and you have to get more involved in the action in this stage of the tournament. There’s not time to sit and wait for really strong hands. If you do, chances are your stack will slowly decrease and eventually it will be too late to turn things around. Consequently, you have to be more aggressive and take more risks. Remember that you always should observe your opponents carefully during the game. In the middle stages some people will play very tight to protect their stack. If they do, you should loosen up your game even more. However, if your opponents are playing loose you should tighten up. Regardless of playing style you should play more hands against the players you know to be weak. This is the best way to increase your stack and gain a strong position before entering the final stages of the tournament.
Phase three – the late stage
In the late stage of a tournament the number of all-ins increase and the stakes are very high. Under these circumstances it’s obviously a big advantage to have a large stack since players with smaller stacks run the risk of getting knocked out every time they enter a pot. When you have a big stack you have the opportunity to wait for good hands and you can control the table through aggressive play.
If you’re short stacked you should avoid playing against the big stacks as much as possible. At the same time you have to keep picking up pots in order to survive. Play aggressively and never just call (the one possible exception is when you’re holding AA). When you’re in late position you should occasionally try to steal the blinds by raising. When you’re in early position you should only play premium hands.
Phase four – the final table
When you’ve reached the final table your goal should be to finish in the top three. If you have a large stack you should try to take control of the table without taking unnecessary risks – you don’t want the smaller stacks to double up against you. When you’re short stacked the size of the stakes forces you into the action. In this situation you should play aggressively but avoid taking risks against the big stacks. When the table is short-handed (4 to 6 players) you should play more hands and try to steal pots. The fewer players left at the table the more aggressive you should be.
Texas Holdem Tournaments
Since it’s about the most popular poker variation in the world today, a player in search of some potentially profitable play can easily find any number of Texas Holdem tournaments. They are available in the card rooms of many states, at the casinos in a growing number of locales (not just Vegas and Atlantic City anymore) or, increasingly, on the Internet at any number of honest, well-regarded casino sites.
Texas Holdem is the most dramatic example of a new game capturing the gambling public’s imagination, which in the “cyberspace” era means that its popularity is easy to gauge by searching online for games, information about the games and even incentives offered by land-based casinos to lure players to their card tables. Online casinos, however, are matching the marketing maneuvers of the land-based game operators and, for many people, the only Texas Holdem tournaments they play are in Internet casinos.
Any number of informative articles, available with just a few keystrokes on a home computer, will give players the history of the game, its rules and even an introduction to the real game via free online play. Texas Holdem, which is a community card variant of Poker, proceeds as players make the best possible hands out of two face down hole cards and five others (the “community” cards) that are dealt face up on the table. With a group of players numbering two to perhaps ten or a dozen, the game continues through strictly ordered rounds (“positional” play) with discarded or “burned” cards and, of course, wagering adding to the excitement.
Today, there is no question that Texas Holdem is the most popular variation of Poker played at casinos both online and off, and is the main event of the World Series of Poker as well as the primary game in the World Poker Tour. Its popularity with both professional and casual players speaks to its entertaining nature as well as it potential for profitability.
Since the first games were played in Texas in the early 1900s, the game has traveled from there to Dallas and on through the rest of the region, the country and the world. Now, with the ubiquity of the Internet, Texas Holdem tournaments can be found 24 hours day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year.
The game had already become popular in casinos by the time that the Internet was powerful enough to bring it into new, virtual, computerized gambling halls and offer it to fascinated gamblers everywhere — and at all times. In the online casinos, Texas Holdem tournaments are among the most popular, and the rising popularity of Poker tournaments, TV specials and high-stakes games ensures that this exciting variation of Poker will remain a favorite for years to come. At any moment, tens of thousands of people are reaping enjoyment as well as winnings from Texas Holdem tournaments — online, at Vegas casinos and in card parlors (and living rooms, too) all around the world.